As a method for manufacturing a cylindrical honeycomb body, there exists a method for winding a long foil from an end thereof while supporting a resulting wound structure with three rollers (for example, refer to Patent Document No. 1).
In addition, as an apparatus for manufacturing a honeycomb body, there exists an apparatus for winding a long foil and inserting a resulting wound structure into a tubular casing (for example, Patent Document No. 2).    Patent Document No. 1: Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication JP-A-8-257361 (Page 5, FIG. 1)    Patent Document No. 2: Japanese Patent Examined Publication No. JP-B-2571879 (Page 4, FIG. 2)
Patent Document No. 1 will be described based on the following drawings.
FIG. 34 is an explanatory diagram which illustrates a conventional technique (Patent Document No. 1). In a conventional honeycomb body winding method, three rollers 302, 302, 302 are disposed in a circumferential direction of an outer circumferential surface of a honeycomb body 301, so that a flat foil 303 is wound into a honeycomb body 301 with a backward tension applied thereto by a brake roller 304, while the resulting wound honeycomb body 301 is maintained pressed by the rollers 302, 302, 302 which are adapted to move to narrow a space therebetween. As this occurs, since a pressing force applied by each of the rollers 302 is detected by a potentiometer 305 so as to adjust the pressing force so applied, in the event that thickness of the foil is thin, a slack in the foil can be eliminated.
FIGS. 35A to 35E are explanatory diagrams which illustrate a conventional technique (Patent Document No. 2). In a honeycomb body press fitting apparatus, a honeycomb body 321 is set in a honeycomb body gripping claw 322, a tubular casing 323 is placed on a tubular casing resting plate 324, the tubular casing resting plate 324 is raised by a tubular casing elevating cylinder 325 so as to be fitted in divided press-fit guides 326, 327, the press-fit guides 326, 327 are raised as shown by an arrow y1, and the honeycomb body 321 is placed in the press-fit guides 326, 327 by opening the honeycomb griping claw 322. A press-fit cylinder 328 is then activated so as to push the honeycomb body 321 into the tubular casing 323 as indicated by an arrow y2, and the honeycomb body 321 is pushed in further by opening the press-fit guides 326, 327 as indicated by an arrow y3.
In the honeycomb body winding method of Patent Document No. 1 (refer to FIG. 34), while the honeycomb body 301 is designed to be inserted into a casing while the honeycomb body 301 is wound to a predetermined diameter, as this occurs, the honeycomb body 301 is inserted into the casing with difficulty.
In the honeycomb body press-fit apparatus of Patent Document No. 2 (refer to FIG. 35), the honeycomb body 321 needs to be set in the honeycomb body griping claw 322, and hence, some labor hours are necessary to set the honeycomb body 321 in that way.